Crystal Lake South, Cary-Grove will meet for soccer title

Even though top-seeded Crystal Lake South earned a 3-2 win over No. 4 Jacobs in a Class 3A boys soccer regional semifinal hosted by the Golden Eagles in Algonquin Tuesday, the Gators learned something invaluable en route to the regional championship at 5 p.m. on Friday against No. 2 Cary-Grove.

"The second time you play any team it's going to be tougher and you have to credit Jacobs, we knew they were going to be dangerous and we kept pushing," Gators' coach Brian Allen said. "We knew if they kept it within striking distance that they could make it interesting."

Boy, did the Golden Eagles ever. They gave the Fox Valley Conference Valley Division champs all they could handle. The Gators (16-5-1) received goals from their top performers in midfielders Orlando Tapia and Charlie Ruff and forward Andrew Grabowski and it almost wasn't enough. After Tapia put back a rebound in the first half and Grabowski crashed in on his own rebound in the 45th minute to put CL South up 2-0, Jacobs (5-16-1) responded in the 48th minute when freshman forward Noah Melick fired a shot past the right post on a pass from Nick Voss to cut the lead in half and add some drama to the mix.

"They definitely came and played like it was going to be their last game," said Grabowski. "It was definitely tough."

And when it seemed like South separated itself again on Ruff's header served up by Ryan Russman deep in the right corner to build the lead back up to 2 the Golden Eagles answered on Voss' goal via a free kick from Chris Rigby with 17:23 on the clock. Jacobs weathered a major storm in the first half as South hurled 11 shots in that span but fired back 8 of its 9 overall in the last 40. Even though Jacobs lost the edge in shots 18-9, it definitely didn't lay down from the 3-0 defeat to South in the teams' conference matchup earlier in the season.

"We said at halftime we were a bit fortunate," Jacobs coach AJ Cappello said. "We tried to use it as a positive that we were only down 1-0 going into half. We knew we were a bit lucky so we spun it into a positive an even though we gave up that second goal we battled back."

Jacobs could have completed the comeback with under a minute to go on Gustavo Valdez's header near the goal line that looked as if had no chance of being stopped but was by the outstretched arm of Gators' keeper Dalton Kause, who managed to get his right hand on it on a full-out lunge in a downward motion across the frame to prevent overtime.

"That was a first-class save," Allen said. "His teammates expect that of him and he knew he needed to do that because of the first goal (allowed) and he rose to the occasion which was huge. That's the mentality you have to have in the postseason. It's not always going to be pretty, all the goals count the same and getting the result at the end is the important part."

Cary-Grove 2, McHenry 0: The nightcap featured less fray but that was due to the Cary-Grove defense, which was on full display in its 2-0 semifinal win over No. 3 McHenry.

The No. 2 Trojans (16-2) posted their 10th shutout of the year for goalkeeper Ethan Csoka, who had 3 saves. The enforcement, led by seniors Brad Sigsworth, Patrick McKune, Jesse Ivers and Matt Scott, clogged up their half and allowed just 3 shots total (two on goal, one which hit the post) as McHenry (10-8-4) couldn't get any traction going from the get-go.

"(McHenry) had some speed up top there, they were living to go ahead and create that on the counter," Trojans' coach Mark Olson said of C-G's second win this season against the Warriors. "I thought our guys did a really nice job defending as far as making sure we had everyone covered up. Ethan does a great job back there as far as directing the defense as well."

It's testament to the camaraderie of a defensive unit that has been together for 5 years, including time spent on club teams.

"We just know where each other is at; the other team is making good runs but we just know where to go because we've been playing so long together," Sigsworth said. "(We) were just playing defense at a high intensity like it was our last game."

C-G outshot the Warriors 16-3 while Esteban Angeles and Luis Lemus each scored goals nearly 3 minutes apart late in the first half to pad the lead on a night where one would have done just fine.

"When you get into the playoffs, everyone's record is 0-0. It's a one-game playoff, basically," Olson said. "You've got to make sure you take care of business. One letdown here, a miscue here, a moment not focusing, can be the difference in the game and that's the difference in your season."

The Trojans will get a chance to avenge their only conference loss to Crystal Lake South, which won 3-1 in Cary on Sept. 30.

"Don't expect anything different," Olson said of the Gators. "They're a very dangerous team, they're a very good team and we going to have to make sure that we're smart in how we play. We have to make sure we defend well and not let people get loose. And then make the most of our chances."